Sound amplifier



Jun 7, 1927 H. D. PENNEE SOUND AMPLIFIER Filed Oct. 16,1923

@aienteii June 7, 1927.

UNITED. STATES 1 1,631,221 PATENT OFF-ICE.

mom) nlrmmnY, or PELHAM, new Yonk, ASSIGNOB mo DIAMOND EXPANSION 130m COMPANY, A CORPORATION or NEW some jsoo'nn AMPLIFIER.

Application filed October 16, 1923. serial No. 668,840.

V The present invention relates to an improvement in a; sound resonating and amplifying device; and'in its application to the useful arts, it, may be applied to, and 5 transmit sound from, various types of tonal tor sound initiating devices, suchas phonographs and receivers of telephones and is ound useful in amplifying incoming signals in radio'receiving apparatus.) In com binationwith a radio-phone, having suite able connection with a radio amplifying set, it maybe useful as a loiicl speaker. I" do not desire however, to be held to any of the above noted uses or radio broadcast reception or amplification alone. in the drawings herein, Fig. l is, a front elevation of one form of the invention; j

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken on a vertical diameter of Fig. l; I Fig. 3 isa sectional view showing a standard megaphone horn; Fig. i is a diagrammatic View showing a form of attachment for honographic sound transmission and amplidhation; Fig? 5 is asectional view of another form offthe invention; i 1 Fig. 6 is e. front view of another form of the invention; and

Fig. Tis' aperspective View of still an other form at the invention.' I In Fig. 1, my device is shown in the form that is preferred from the standpoint oi quality oi tone, and here comprises two 3e preerahly .wooden associgted members 1 and 2,mounte dgupon a'snitable base 3, here shown as a separate piece, an annular chamher, when .viewed from the front, being formed between the members 1 and 2.

lhe member 1 has a concave reflecting surface or face i, which when vieeid in section as in Fig. 2, is in form the longie '-,-tudinal segment of an oval interrupted at its middle by the sound admitting orifice or. aperture 5 and the member :2 has a convex reflecting surface of arc of circle form with.

convergingcurvedv portions at the ends or" the are, the member 2 facing'the aperture 5 and extending a distance on either side thereof, the chamber or passage 6 for passage of sound through the device being formed hetweenthe members 1 and 2 and having outlets for $0 1 61 at its. ends, the

member 1' being the sound reflecting element or resonator and the member 2 being the sound deflecting or modulating element.

As later explained the member 2 may be adjustably movable v for constricting the sound-in said chamber or passage adjacent to the aperture 5 for modulating the sound, and it will be noted that When the member 2 is so moved, although the passage 6 will be constricted adjacent. to the aperture 5 I and the capacity of the passage 6 for passage of sound varied or altered at this point, the contour for passage of sound of this chamber or passage will be substantially unaltered both at said inlet and outlets, the modulation by the member 2 thus causing no distortion or change of direction of the sound in its passage through the chamber or passage 6, the member 2 thus eficiently and perfectly performing its function as modulator,

While the device of Figs. 1 and 2 is preferably of wood, the invention may be in the form of a pair of spun metal shells as indicated in ig. 5, and it will be noted, in both forms, that the outer major reflector element 1 is, from front to rear, compara \tiveiy narrow and has a contoured inner tone reiiecting surface 4i which terminates preferably as an orifice or aperture 5' at the rear or back portion B of the element 1, Fig. 2. in the present showing, this hack aperture is arranged to receive and to maintain in operative relation thereto, a loud speaker phone, generally denoted hyP, and

this phone may be of the well known Bald --WlH Westinghouse phonograph type or equivalent, usually utilized for adaptation to phonograph reception and amplification oi' radio signals.

Afixed near the center of the contoured inner surface e is a central or minor tone deflector element 2, which is affixed in the basin-like tone depression of the major element 1, and it will be seen, that the chamber formed by the contour of the associated ele ments 1 and 2 is somewhat in the nature of a double megaphonic amplif in T tone chamber, such as is shown at (i which is an a proximate outline of the well known, emplig ing horn such as is custom;

arily used in loud speakers off this "type.

It will also benoted, that the upper or lower half of either section of the tone chamber 6,-Fig. 2, also partakes of this megaphonic horn contour as indicated at C, Fig. 3, and that therefore this chamber shown in 2.

6, instead of being a single tubular-like chamber as is customary in horns of this type, is, when viewed from the front, in an annular form such as is indicated by Fig. 1.

It will be further noted that in order to afford this contour that the major reflector element 1 and the minor deflector element 2 are so conformed at their opposed adjacent surfaces that the outer major: element 1 forms an equivalent to the back wall W of the megaphone element Mshown in Fig. 3, and that the minor element 2 forms an equivalent of the inner wall I- of the megaphonic element 1 shown in Fig. 3, so that instead of my device being a large tubular cone as indicated in Fig. 3, my tone amplifying or diffusing device is so constructed that the constricted section at the orifice 5, Fig. 2, is equivalent to the constricted tubular portion 0, Fig. 3, and that the bell-like amplifying chamber C, Fig. 3, is substantially liklq the upper or lower section of chamber 6, ig. 2.

In other words, I have created a modified amplifying tone deflector which permits of the use of standard phones of the radio or telephonic type therewith; and it may also. be utilized in connection with phonographs in which the tone arm T, Fig. 4, is operatively connected therewith in which D represents the diaphragm box of the ordinary well known phonograph connection, the tone arm terminating in the aperture 5, which is here made somewhat larger. than in the de vice of Fig. 2..

In Fig. 5, there is disclosed a modified construction which, while v.not so desirable for certain reasons to be hereinafter set forth, yet on the score of economy this form of construction may be easily encompassed at a minimum of cost:

In Fig. 5 the reference numerals are the same as for the equivalent structural details shown in Fig. 2, and represent corresponding portions of the. structure, but instead of the major element 1 made of wood, it

is lathe-turned, or molded, in the usual manner, in the present instance being made of stamped or pre$ed sheet metal, and the element 2 is likewise made of stamped or pressed'metal construction, so that, in effect,

' the tone channel portion 6 is of substantially the same character and general contour 'as However, it is'to' be noted that I have found in actual 1 ractice that the all wood form. as shown in ig. 2, givessomewhat better tone qualities than the all metal form indicated in Fig. 5, due to the more natural resonance characteristic-of wood itself. On the other hand the difference in the manufacturing costs between the all metal form and the all wooden form as shown, would warrant in some instances, the making of the flat megaphonic device herein disclosed, of sheet metal.

In the present construction, I have found that the volume of sound emitting from this device is about equivalent in volume and quality to the ordinary well known type of megaphonic horn of equal volumetric content, and, in addition thereto, the present type of device, being comparatively narrow in sectional area as indicated at F i 2, may be made in various ornamental orms in either metal or wood, and takes up a much smaller space than heretofore. In addition it is not at all unsightly and in its outer'or exterior conformation it may be made to suit various periods of wood or furniture construction, as to the ornamentation thereof, and at the same time becomes a very practical and ornamental device.

It will furthermore be noted that by making the device narrow and creatin therein a tone chamber having a constricte area at the phone receiving point. and swelling the chamber to a lar er dimension at the point of emission outsi e of the plane of they front face thereof, that I have created a flat megaphone of narrow cross sectional area, which answers every purpose to which the well known type of megaphone has been heretofore adapted, making it much easier to carry when such is required and affording a more economical method 'of manufacturing and doing away with the tubby resonance encountered in the usual tubular type of construction such as is shown in Fig. 3.

In efl'ect, when the two component ele ments 1 and 2, which are affixed to each other in operative relation, by means of screws or rivets 7, the structure, as such, becomes unitary and presents a single structure having when viewed from the front an annular tone-amplifying chamber within the comparatively narrow section of the body thereof. The annular tone chamber thus developed between the two disk-like elements 1 and 2 has all the characteristics of a megaphone amplifying horn and lends itself to a better reproduction of tone, well modulated and pleasing to the ear.

The screws 7, Fig. 2, may be so arranged that they may be adjusted, thereby movlng and holding in adjusted position the deflector or modulator element 2, relative to the major reflector 1, whereby the narrow por tion of the, tone chamber 6, may be constricted'or increased at will, if desired. Thisis shown by the dotted lines a, Fig. 2, which indicate constriction of the tone chamber 6, over the normal, and which constriction causes modification of the issuing tone.

Throughout the herein description, I have described my device as having an. annular tone passage therein, when viewed from the front, and formed by a reflector element and leis a deflector element. The structural limitation thereb wherein the front view of the chamber 6 1, In combination, a wide major reflector phragm close to and emitting sound through 2. In combination is substantially rectangular, the sectional view of this modification being exactly the same as that shown in Fig. 2, all other ordinals thereon representing equivalents as described for Fig.

It is also possible in some forms of my device to mold the same, forming bynthis process of manufacture, a unitary, compara tively wide face of relatively narrow cross section, which cross section is traversed by the narrow gradually lncreasmg tone pas- Y sage as outlined in the foregoing description.

The form of invention shown in Fig. '7 is very similar to that of Figs. 1 and 2, except the resonating element has a somewhat pointed shape when viewed from the front, and the modulating element carries on its, front an ornament 8. Many other forms of the invention will readily suggest themselves.

I claim as my invention: a

element having its front face concaved to form a wide shallow chamber having a diameter several times greater thanits depth and having a short central aperture therein;

1 said refiector element being adapted to re ceive a telephone mounted adjacent to the back of said reflector element with its diasaid aperture .directly into said chamber to form a zone of intense sound waves within said chamber close to said aperture; and 'a minor deflector element having a convexed' rear face coaxially disposed in said zone a short distance in. front of said aperture and to extend on all sides thereoftand cooperatingiwith the concaved face to diverge the intense waves and form a sound reflecting a gradual gradually to the periphery.

wide major reflector increasing angle of. fla

- element having its-front face conc'aved to form a wide shallow chamber having a diameter several times greater than its depth and having therein a central aperture wider than it is long; said reflector element being adapted to receive a telephone mounted on the back of said reflector element with its diaphragm spaced fromthe aperture a distance less than the diameter of the aperture;

therein; said reflector element being adapted :to receive a telephone mounted adjacent to the back of said reflector element with its diaphragm close to and emitting sound into said aperture; and a minor deflector element having a convexed rear face coaxially disposed a short distance in frontof said aperand a minor deflector element having a conture and cooperating with the concave'd face to form a sound reflecting and amplifying chamber having a ward flare of gi'ad iially increasing angle of flare to the periphery; diametrically opposite partso'f said amplifying chamber being disposed substantially at an-obtuse angle to each other. the space at the axis of the amplifier forward thereof being comparab tively free of sound waves.

4. In combination, a wide major reflector a element having its front face concaved to form a wide shallow chamber having a diameter several times greater than its depth and having a central aperture therein shorter than its diameter; said reflector element being adapted to receive a telephone mounted adjacent to the back of said reflector element with its diaphragm close to and emitting sound into said aperture to form' a zoneof intense sound vibration with in said chamber close to said aperture; and a single minor deflector element having an imperforate uninterrupted convexed rear face coaxially disposed in said zone a short distance directly in front of said aperture and cooperating with the concaved face to form a sound reflecting and amplifying chamber having a gradual outward and forward flare of gradually inceasing angle of flare to the periphery.

element having its front face conca'ved'to form a wide shallow chamber having a diameter several times greater than its radual outward and fordepth and having a short central aperi ture therein; said reflector element be- -in adapted to receive a telephdne mounted a acent to the back of said reflector ;ele-

ment concentric with said aperture with its diaphragm close to andemitting sound in Y to said aperture; a minordeflector element having; .ai' 'convexed rear face coaxially disposeda short distance in front of said aperture and cooperating with the concaved face to form a sound reflecting and amplifying chamber; and adjusting means adjustably supporting said minor deflector for moving it toward or from the aperture; said amplifying chamber having a gradual outward and forward flare of gradually increasing angle of flare to the periphery for any position of adjustment of the minor deflector element.

6. In combination, a wide major reflector element having itsfront face concaved to form a wide shallow chamber having a diameter several times greater than its depth and having a central aperture therein; said reflector element being adapted to receive a telephone mounted adjacent to the back of said reflector element with its diaphragm close to and emitting soiind into said aperture; a minor deflector element having a convened rear face coaxially disposed a short distance in front of said aperture and cooperating with the concaved face to form a sound reflecting and amplifying chamber having a gradual outward and forward flare of gradually increasing angle of flare to the periphery; and adjusting means entirely exterior to said aperture adjustably supporting said minor deflector for moving it toward or from the aperture.

7 In combination, a wide major reflector element having its front face con.:aved to form a wide shallow chamber having a diameter several times greater than its depth and having a central aperture; said reflector element being adapted to receive a telephone mounted and supported to the back of said reflector element with its diaphragm close to said aperture; a minor deflector element having a convexed rear face carried by the major element ashort distance in front of said. aperture and cooperating with the concaved face thereby to form a sound reflect-w ing and amplifying chamber having a gradual outward and forward flare of gradually increasing angle of' flare to the periphery; and a base fixed to the lower part of the periphery of the major element and supporting the latter and thereby the telephone and the inner element.

8. A sound amplifier comprising a wide major reflector having its front face con caved to form a wide shallow chamber having a. diameter several times greater than its depth and having a central aperture therein; said reflector element being adapted to receive a telephone mounted on the back of said reflector element with its diaphragm close to the aperture; and a minor deflector element having a convexed rear face coaxially disposed a short distance in front of said aperture and cooperating with the concaved face to form a sound reflecting and amplifying chamber having a gradual outward and forward flare of gradually increasing angle of flare to the periphery; the front to rear depth of said amplifier as a whole including the telephone being less 'than halfthe diameter of the major de fiector.

9. In combination, a wide major reflector clement having its front face eoncaved to form a wide shallow chamber having a central aperture therein and having a diameter several times greater than its depth; a minor deflector element having a convexed rear face coaxially disposed a short distance in front of said aperture and cooperating with the concaved face to form a sound reflecting chamber having a gradual outward and forward flare of gradually increasing angle of flare toward the periphery; and a base fixed to the lower part of the periphery of the major reflector element for supporting the latter.

10. In combination, a wide major reflector element consisting ofrablock of wood having parallel front and rear faces having a height more than three times its thickness; the front face of said element being concaved to form a wide shallow chamber having a central aperture therein and having a diameter several times greater than its depth and nearly equal to the width of the block; and a minor deflector element having a convexed rear face coaxially disposed a short distance in front of said aperture and cooperating with the concaved face to form a sound reflecting chamber having a gradual outward and forward flare of gradually increasing angle of flare toward the periphery.

Signed at 253 Bway, New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 15th day of October A. D. 1923.

HAROLD D. PENNEY. 

